Youth of Expression Program agents expand their acting in Ceilândia and Sobradinho II

Brasilia, July 12, 2013 - Since early 2013, seven youth from Ceilândia and Sobradinho II are working on projects from Youth of Expression Program. With ages among 18 and 29 years old, the so called agents of expression were selected to act in mobilization activities in the regions they live, including music, dance, theatre, skateboarding and even counseling for young mothers.

Davidson Pereira coordinates the 'Amplifier' project, which aims to spot musical groups of different styles in Ceilândia. The ideia is helping the musicians to spread their work on the internet. Davidson took part on a Youth of Expression workshop for the first time in 2011. "Taking part of Youth of Expression was a watershed event. Because of it I started to get interested in social issues and acting in the third sector. A lot of doors were opened due to the program: internships, trips and personal and professional growing opportunities", he said.

On the other side of the Federal District, in Fercal (region next to Sobradinho II), Doriel Francisco da Silva offers theatre and cinema workshops to the young dwellers of the region on Sundays. Recently, a short movie about maternity during the adolescence has started to be produced by him and the students. The theme was a suggestion of the participants of the workshop. "It is something that has a lot to do with them", explains Doriel, once some of the students are already mothers and fathers.

The projects of each agent were defined still during the selection process. Each candidate to be agent of expression has shown one work proposal which should reach the public of the program (youth among 18 and 29 years old) in the regions of Ceilândia and Sobradinho II. By the end of the selection process, the seven chosen agents started a social formative route, a three month capacitation program in which they learn to put their ideas into practice. Among the contents, there are ways to elaborate the projects, partnership making, outreach strategies, budgets and biddings.

The objective of Youth of Expression Program is reducing the vulnerability of the youth to the violence, to AIDS and to Sexual Transmission Diseases (STD), as well as supporting entrepreneurship. According to Yuri Moraes, mobilization assistant of the project in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the activities developed by the youth make the difference in the regions. "It is possible to notice a significant change on the way the agents are seem by the local society and how they see themselves. Acting as representatives of the program, they assume an entrepreneur role among the youth of the communities in which they act", said Yuri.

The Youth of Expression Program exists since 2007 and is carried out by Caixa Seguros Group, in partnership with UNODC, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO in Brazil) and the Central Única das Favelas (Cufa/DF).